Sunday, September 15, 2013

Arsenal go back for £30m Rooney and hope Ozil presence will secure United target

Arsenal will test Manchester United’s resolve to keep Wayne Rooney in this January’s transfer window, with their spending ready to continue following their record £42 million deal for Mesut Ozil.

Biding their time: Arsenal are going to make another offer for Wayne Rooney in January

Arsenal still have funds to make a bid of about £30m and the feeling at the club is that the signing of Ozil has indicated to Rooney, who scored on his surprise return from injury in Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, that they have returned to being serious title contenders.

Ozil inspired Arsenal to a 3-1 win at Sunderland on Saturday, but they want to add a striker in January if possible and Rooney and Luis Suarez remain the two players that Wenger would like to add to the team.

London Galaticos: Arsenal will hope that the presence of Mesut Ozil will persuade Rooney to stay

The club believe that Rooney will consider their bid seriously, even though he seemed to prefer to move to Chelsea in the summer, because they have now signed Germany playmaker Ozil.

Neither Suarez nor Rooney will be easy to prise away, with United having proved resolute in their determination to keep Rooney, rejecting bids from both Arsenal and Chelsea and Liverpool proving equally intransigent over Suarez, rejecting a bid of £40million, plus £1, from Arsenal.

Licking his lips: Arsene Wenger would be excited to work with both Ozil and Rooney

United are preparing to offer Rooney a new contract as his current deal runs out in 18 months, but have indicated that they will wait until January before opening talks. United need to sign him on a longer-term deal before his market value dramatically decreases in the final year of his contract.

Real Madrid are now expected to bid for Suarez in January and it is clear that Liverpool would prefer to sell him abroad and that the player would prefer a move to the Bernabeu.

Rooney started Saturday’s game after his training-ground accident with Phil Jones that gashed his head, but his situation will continue to attract attention, especially with the launch of Sir Alex Ferguson’s autobiography next month.

Rooney still strongly contends Sir Alex’s version of events at the end of last season, the former Manchester United manager claiming that Rooney asked to leave the club. United have confirmed that Rooney never submitted a formal transfer request.